We believe that an adolescent girl living in poverty is the most powerful person in the world. If we reach her early enough, she can accelerate economies, arrest major global health issues and break cycles of poverty.

The first day of the G8 Summit answered some of the questions advocates have raised about Canada’s signature G8 initiative, The Muskoka Initiative for maternal and child health. But important gaps remain.

The G8 must commit new resources for maternal, newborn and child health, including all reproductive health services. Integrated sexual and reproductive health services have been proven to be cost-effective and to save lives.

Over the last six months, as an intern at Pathfinder International, I’ve learned a lot about the field of reproductive health. One of the most shocking aspects has been just how many women lack access to contraception (200 million to be exact).

The conflict in Kyrgyzstan is spiraling out of control. Ethnic Uzbeks are fleeing their homes in Kyrgyzstan for safety while their houses are being burned. As in most conflicts around the world, this devastation is often felt by women who, while displaced, lack access to lifesaving reproductive health services. Further violence means that a country, which is already experiencing a dramatic increase in maternal mortality increase will face deterioration in quality reproductive health services.

Working in the global reproductive health arena, I think about the profound grief my own mother experienced having lost a child and then about the millions of women around the world who face this sort of grief as a part of their daily lives because they lack access to reproductive health care. But we can make a change this Mother’s Day.

In response to severe criticism of its rejection of family planning as part of global maternal health programs, Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper now says that the “door is not closed” on providing contraception.